Plating on nonmetallic disks

Abstract

The invention is a method of plating a nonmetallic substrate comprising the steps of depositing an adhesion enhancing film on the substrate, treating the adhesion enhancing film to make the film catalytic, and forming an outer coating and passivating plate on the adhesion enhancing film. The resulting plated, nonmetallic substrates may comprise any number of materials used as an inner substrate such as compounds of oxide, nitride, phosphide, carbide, glass, ceramic, and mixtures thereof. In use, the resulting substrate may find application in any number of data storage and retrieval application.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A plated, nonmetallic substrate, said substrate comprising: 
       (a) an inner nonmetallic substrate;  
       (b) an adhesion enhancing film;  
       (c) a catalytic material deposited over said adhesion enhancing film;  
       (d) an outer plate deposited over said adhesion enhancing film.  
     
     
       2. The substrate of claim  1  wherein said inner substrate comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a ceramic, a glass, a glass/ceramic, a carbide compound, a nitride compound, an oxide compound, a phosphide compound, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
       3. The substrate of claim  1  wherein said plated, substrate comprises a rigid disk for use in data storage and retrieval device. 
     
     
       4. The substrate of claim  3  wherein said rigid disk comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a glass, a ceramic, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
       5. The substrate of claim  1  wherein said adhesion enhancing film results from application of one or more reactive precursor compounds, said precursor compounds selected from the group consisting of a zirconium compound, a titanium compound, a niobium compound, a vanadium compound, a silicon compound, an aluminum compound, a tin compound and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
       6. The substrate of claim  1  wherein said adhesion enhancing film results from application of one or more reactive precursor compounds, said precursor compounds selected from a zirconium alkoxide or partial alkoxide, a titanium alkoxide or partial alkoxide, a silicon alkoxide or partial alkoxide, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
       7. The substrate of claim  1  wherein said adhesion enhancing film has a thickness ranging from about 0.01 μm to 10 μm. 
     
     
       8. The substrate of claim  1  wherein said substrate is made catalytic through application of a catalytic material, said catalytic material selected from the group consisting of a palladium compound, a platinum compound, a gold compound, a silver compound, a nickel compound, an iron compound, a zinc compound, a cobalt compound, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
       9. The substrate of claim  1  wherein the adhesion enhancing film and the catalytic material comprise a single co-applied layer. 
     
     
       10. A data storage and retrieval device, said storage device comprising a plated, nonmetallic disk for data storage and retrieval, said rigid disk comprising: 
       (a) an inner nonmetallic substrate;  
       (b) an adhesion enhancing film;  
       (c) a catalytic material deposited over said adhesion enhancing film;  
       (d) an outer plate deposited over said adhesion enhancing film.  
     
     
       11. The device of claim  10  wherein said inner substrate comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a ceramic, a glass, a glass/ceramic, a carbide compound, a nitride compound, an oxide compound, a phosphide compound, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
       12. The device of claim  10  wherein said adhesion enhancing film results from application of one or more reactive precursor compounds, said precursor compounds selected from the group consisting of a zirconium compound, a titanium compound, a niobium compound, a vanadium compound, a silicon compound, an aluminum compound, a tin compound and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
       13. The device of claim  10  wherein said adhesion enhancing film has a thickness ranging from about 0.01 μm to 10 μm. 
     
     
       14. The device of claim  10  wherein said, catalytic material comprises a catalytic compound selected from the group comprising of a palladium compound, a platinum compound, a gold compound, a silver compound, a nickel compound, an iron compound, a zinc compound, a cobalt compound, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
       15. The device of claim  10  wherein the adhesion enhancing film and the catalytic material comprises a single co-applied layer.